Easy reading.
Kurt Beren Geiger on advertising, politics and my life in general.

I’m not a huge football fan. I mean, I don’t have a favorite team that I live – and would die – for. Okay, I do have a slight streak of local patriotism in the sense that it’s quite obvious that the best teams are based in Stockholm. But then, it really doesn’t matter to me if it’s DIF, AIK or Hammarby that wins Allsvenskan. And to top it off, even if my knee was working at 100% I still can’t play worth a fcuk.
But there’s something different about national football. Especially when you’re living abroad. Yep, you’ve guessed it, that streak of local patriotism has taken a turn for the nationalistic…
I have several yellow and blue national team jerseys in my bottom dresser drawer and I even have a 3-metre long Swedish cross-pennant waving from my living room window over the Düsseldorfer Altstadt. And I think that I’ve really taken it all just a little too seriously.
For example, we started a pool at work and I bet with the assumption that Sweden would win. Needless to say, I could have spent those 10€ on something better. And I was extremely embarrassed when we tied 0-0 with Trinidad and Tobago. And after the first 15 minutes of yesterday’s match, I felt like I wanted to crawl under a rock – especially since I was in the Fortuna Stadium with 12,500 cheering Germans.
But now it’s over. At least for Sweden. Unfortunately.
Amidst all the tragedy, it was luckily midsummer this weekend. And that’s made for a nice distraction. It’s a wonder what a little pickled herring, boiled potatoes and a snaps or two can do to improve your mood. I’ve even been able to laugh a little. Which reminds me…
Remember all the chatter last year about IKEA Germany’s inappropriate midsummer TV commercials? Well, this year they’ve done it again. Kind of…

IKEA - Midsommar in Schweden - Wettrennen
IKEA - Midsommar in Schweden - Bingo

Update: Åsks comments prompted me to post a blurb about the new IKEA spots over at Adland. And over at YouTube, user jennabush69 has published a director’s cut of the original “Midsommar Wahnsinns Preise” films.